Heather Knight

Heather Clare Knight OBE is a distinguished English cricketer and former captain of the England women's cricket team. A right-handed batter and right-arm off-spin bowler, Knight made her international debut in 2010 and became one of the first women to receive an ECB central contract in 2014. She was appointed England captain in 2016, leading the team to victory in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, where she set records including a 213-run third-wicket partnership. Knight became the first female cricketer to score a fifty and take a five-wicket haul in an ODI innings and was honored with an OBE and named Wisden Cricketer of the Year for her achievements.

Under Knight’s leadership, England competed in multiple major tournaments including the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 and the Women’s Ashes series. She became the first woman to score a century in all three international formats and reached significant personal milestones such as 3,000 WODI runs and 50 wickets. Knight captained England through the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup and Commonwealth Games. However, after nearly nine years as captain, she was relieved of her leadership role in March 2025 following a series of poor results, including a whitewash defeat in the Ashes series against Australia.